To further prove that you don't need to be an expert to understand personal finance, we've rounded up seven hard truths about money in cartoon form, courtesy of Albert, an upcoming app that provides simple financial advice and lets you act on it from your phone.

To help focus on your long-term investment plan, avoid the temptation to check a stock ticker or your account on a daily or weekly basis. Markets go up and down every day, and so do individual stocks — if you're investing for the long term, you don't need the anxiety of constant updates.

Lifestyle inflation is dangerous, even if it's only week to week.

Pay day is liberating, but it can be dangerous. When your bank account balance spikes every other week, it can be tempting to up your spending simultaneously — but overspending habits can be tricky to break once they're formed.

You don't have to spend every dollar you have.

If you're an overspender lucky enough to avoid taking on debt, you're most likely living paycheck to paycheck. That makes it hard to plan and set aside money for the future, when you want to make a major purchase like a house, take a trip, or retire.

As a good rule of thumb, live below your means — not at or beyond — at all times.

The best intentions probably aren't enough to build wealth.

Sticking to a financial plan is a lot like sticking to New Year's resolutions — it's easy and exciting at first, but can quickly fall by the wayside.

Luckily, when it comes to your finances, you can pretty much automate everything today, meaning you can automatically send money to investment accounts, savings accounts, and creditors before you even have the chance to spend it.